In light of the Theory of Ecological Modernisation, this is the first work to explore the organisational barriers affecting one of the most significant sustainable public procurement initiatives in Latin America: the Brazilian Environmental Agenda for Public Operations Management (the 'A3P Programme'). This article explores the barriers to sustainable procurement in a Brazilian context, inspired by the work of Brammer and Walker (2011). Based on the results of a survey of programme managers, our first recommendation is to group the barriers to sustainable procurement into five categories: organisational culture, motivation, economic uncertainty, market, and operations. Amongst these, it was found that organisational culture stands out as a particular barrier to sustainable public procurement. This work also highlights Ecological Modernisation Theory as a useful tool for understanding why variables related to cost and budget are not barriers to implementing sustainable public procurement initiatives. Consequently, the main implication of this study is that government should consider cultural change management when developing sustainability management initiatives.
Healthcare waste management is an essential field for both researchers and practitioners. Although there have been few studies using statistical methods for its evaluation, it has been the subject of several studies in different contexts. Furthermore, the known precarious practices for waste management in developing countries raise questions about its potential barriers. This study aims to investigate the barriers in healthcare waste management and their relevance. For this purpose, this paper analyses waste management practices in two Brazilian hospitals by using case study and the Analytic Hierarchy Process method. The barriers were organized into three categories - human factors, management, and infrastructure, and the main findings suggest that cost and employee awareness were the most significant barriers. These results highlight the main barriers to more sustainable waste management, and provide an empirical basis for multi-criteria evaluation of the literature.
Purpose - This study aims at developing a framework of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) in public educational organizations.Theoretical framework – There are 3-sections: Strategic planning in public sector, Balanced Scorecard and BSC in the public sector. Strategic management in public administration is an important issue, with the BSC as one of the most widely used tools. Although, the application of this technique in public schools is still unexplored and uncommon, it does possess the potential to improve their effectiveness.Methodology - A 3-stage qualitative approach: (i) 8 semi-structured interviews with the principals of participating schools; (ii) 4 stages of focus groups with 3 of the principals from different schools; and (iii) non-participant observation using a field diary. Also, the data were analyzed through content analysis and cross-referencing the different forms of data collected.Findings - The results do not indicate a vast knowledge concerning the BSC’s techniques and tools, or an alignment between management planning posture, principles nor objectives of BSC application. Also, school planning is realized through the expertise of the Principal, without instruments of strategic management. Finally, adapted BSC models and strategic maps were proposed in public schools to collaborate and facilitate the strategic management process.Research, Practical Social implications - The paper contributes towards developing new research agendas for strategic management in Brazil, with the possibility of improving public results and to appoint new practices in public schools.Originality/value - We have collaborated with the creation of a tool to use in the strategic planning of primary schools and pushing BSC studies into public sectors.
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